Power-Assisted Portable X-Ray Reduces Technologist Injury

A new portable x-ray system with a telescoping column reduces lift force by up to 70%, significantly reducing musculoskeletal stress and strain injuries that can afflict technologists.

The GE Healthcare (Chalfont St. Giles, United Kingdom) AMX Navigate is a portable digital X-ray (DXR) system with a small footprint that offers enhanced maneuverability and easy positioning, even in the tightest spaces, thanks to EasyDrive dual motor operation and a precise pressure-sensitive drive handle. In addition, a power-assisted Free Motion telescoping column helps minimize the physical effort required to complete an exam, and a user-friendly console reduces the number of interactions required to set up and process it.

Novel solutions increase efficiency by automating workflow and reducing user interface interactions. For example, Zero Click Exam is used to automate workflow and reduce user interface interactions for setting up and processing exams. The Zero Click Exam features a bar code reader that matches patients to worklist, while another feature, Auto Protocol Assist, automatically chooses the correct protocol. Also included are QuickEnhance one-touch reprocessing for line visualization and AutoGrid to improve image turnaround time, without degrading image quality.

“No one is more familiar with the ins and outs of X-ray imaging than technologists,” said Katelyn Nye, general manager of mobile X-ray and artificial intelligence at GE Healthcare. “That’s why we worked closely with them to design new features focused on removing the stress and strain of the technologist’s everyday workflow - from the positioning of a portable X-ray for an exam, to its overall maneuverability from the emergency room to the operating room to the patient’s bedside.”

“I have been an X-ray technologist for nearly thirty years and have experience with the strain that occurs from performing multiple X-ray exams daily,” said Jennifer Murphy, radiology manager of St. Luke's University Health Network (Bethlehem, PA, USA). “From its sleek design that makes it easy for technologists to navigate, to the dynamic screen that wastes no space to provide clear, high-quality pictures, this new system is easy to use and saves time when minutes matter, which is the ultimate goal for clinicians working to provide patients with the best care possible.”

Also embedded onto the AMX Navigate platform is GE Healthcare’s Critical Care Suite 2.0, a set of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for automated measurements, case prioritization, and quality control, which offers on-device automatic identification of critical conditions and assessment of endotracheal (ET) tube placement. In addition, a quality care suite (QCS) provides onscreen quality checks to the technologist to help improve image quality and workflow efficiency.